The present invention relates generally to a dubbing apparatus and, more particularly, to a dubbing apparatus having a capability of managing program data to be dubbed for recording, thereby performing copyright protection.
Recently, CD (Compact Disc (trademark)) players for playing back CDs are in common use. Also, such disc media capable of recording/reproducing audio data as an MD (MiniDisc (trademark)) are in widely spread use along with recording/reproducing devices compatible with these disc media. At the same time, audio systems with an MD recorder/player combined with a CD player for example are becoming popular.
In the above-mentioned systems such as MD recorders/players and CD players, audio data are managed in a unit called a xe2x80x9cprogramxe2x80x9d. The term xe2x80x9cprogramxe2x80x9d herein denotes a group of data which is managed and recorded as one unit. For example, with respect to audio data, one unit is equivalent to one piece of music which is also referred to as a xe2x80x9ctrackxe2x80x9d. Therefore, in what follows, a program may also be referred to as a track.
The above-mentioned audio systems are generally adapted to execute so-called dubbing recording in which audio data reproduced by a CD player are recorded by an MD recorder/player to an MD. There are also systems configured for so-called high-speed dubbing to save the time required for dubbing.
In high-speed dubbing, with a CD player, its disc rotary drive control system and reproduction signal processing system are controlled such that a CD is played back at a predetermined speed higher than a regular, single speed. On the side of an MD recorder/player, its recording signal processing system is controlled so as to provide an operation corresponding to the CD playback speed which is higher than the regular, single speed, thereby capturing the audio data reproduced by the CD player to record the captured audio data to an MD.
In a system with a CD player that serves as a reproducing device and an MD recorder/player that serves as a recording device are integrated for example, it is easy to control the CD player and the MD recorder/player to simultaneously operate at a predetermined higher speed. Even with a system having a discrete reproducing device and a discrete recording device, arrangement of a configuration permitting communication between these devices with a control cable for example can easily realize high-speed dubbing by synchronously controlling the interaction between these devices.
However, the activity of dubbing is generally considered as an activity which should be preferably prevented because it impairs the benefits of copyright holders by duplicating data which are copyrighted work like musical compositions. Moreover, high-speed dubbing denotes the increase in the number of reproductions per unit time as compared with the regular single-speed dubbing. Assume that a user copy only a same track from same CDs or a CD to many MDs in excess of a normal range of personal use and intend to use these MDs for some purpose. If such a user uses the high-speed dubbing capability, these MDs can be produced more efficiently in time than the signal-speed dubbing. Namely, the high-speed dubbing capability promotes copyright violation.
To overcome this problem, HCMS (High-speed Copy Management system) is proposed. HCMS specifies that a track once high-speed dubbed in recording a digital sound source such as a CD to a recording medium such as an MD is inhibited for further dubbing at least for 74 minutes after the start of the dubbing of that track. The dubbing inhibition time of 74 minutes is specified by taking it into account that the maximum value of a total playback time of one CD is nominally 74 minutes. In other words, by inhibiting the high-speed dubbing of one track for a duration of time required for playing back a whole CD, the dubbing efficiency in time for one track is made substantially equal to the dubbing efficiency of single-speed dubbing. Configuring dubbing devices so that high-speed dubbing is limited in accordance with HCMS allows users to dub CDs in a scope in which no copyright violation takes place. It is assumed that, so long as this specification is not violated, the specifications of devices having dubbing capabilities can be determined as desired.
For a high-speed dubbing enabled device or system to restrict the high-speed dubbing in accordance with the HCMS standard, this device or system must have a track control information for identifying a track which has been high-speed dubbed in a predetermined time, 74 minutes for example.
If a certain track is found to be under the control of HCMS, or if it is found high-speed dubbed within 74 minutes before the current point of time on the basis of this track control information, this track is disabled for high-speed dubbing at this point of time. On the contrary, if a certain track is found not under the control of HCMS, or it is found not high-speed dubbed within 74 minutes before the current point of time, this track is enabled for high-speed dubbing.
Actually, if a program to be high-speed dubbed is under the control of HCMS, the dubbing device or system rejects the high-speed dubbing of that program. Otherwise, the dubbing device or system executes the high-speed dubbing of that program. The track thus high-speed dubbed is described in the track control information and disabled for high-speed dubbing for 74 minutes after the start of the last high-speed dubbing. Namely, this track is registered as a new track under the control of HCMS.
For an actual dubbing device or system to execute the track control (namely HCMS control) in accordance with the HCMS standard as described above, the dubbing device or system must have a memory system for storing the track control information.
It is assumed here that, for the above-mentioned memory system for storing the track control information, an area of a RAM of a microcomputer mounted in the dubbing device be assigned for example.
Because this RAM is normally a volatile memory, the information stored in the RAM is all cleared when the dubbing system is reset or the externally power supplied thereto is turned off for example. As a matter of course, the track control information also vanishes.
If, after the information is cleared of the RAM upon a reset operation by user for example, the dubbing device is restarted, the dubbing device cannot execute HCMS control by inheriting the previous track control information.
For example, if, after a certain track was high-speed dubbed, the dubbing device is restarted by resetting the device or turning off the power supply, the high-speed dubbed track can be ready for another high-speed dubbing operation before 74 minutes pass after the start of the last high-speed dubbing. Namely, although the dubbing device has the HCMS control capability, this capability is invalidated by when the device is reset or powered off, easily permitting the high-speed dubbing which is the violation of the HCMS standard.
One method of preventing this problem from happening is to store the track control information in an EEP-ROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory) for example which retains the stored information even after the power supply is turned off, rather than in the RAM in the microcomputer.
Another possible method is to arrange an auxiliary power supply system for retaining the track control information in the RAM in the microcomputer. Namely, when the dubbing device is externally reset to powered off, the auxiliary power supply continues supplying the power to the internal RAM which stores the track control information, thereby retaining it for at least 74 minutes.
Constituted as such, the dubbing device can properly continue the high-speed dubbing operation in accordance with the HCMS standard after the device is externally reset or powered off, because the previous track control information is kept stored.
However, the former proposed method must use an EEP-ROM which is currently comparatively costly, thereby raising the cost of the dubbing device. The same holds true with the latter proposed method must separately provide the auxiliary system power supply, which also raises the cost of the dubbing device and increases its circuit scale and power dissipation.
The problem of the increased cost is not negligible for providing low-cost dubbing devices or systems for example.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide, as low-cost as possible, a dubbing apparatus having a capability of restricting high-speed dubbing in accordance with a copyright protection standard such as HCMS, thereby properly restricting the high-speed dubbing even if the dubbing apparatus is externally reset or powered off.
In carrying out the invention and according to one aspect thereof, there is provided a dubbing system for dubbing at least one of programs from a first recording medium in a reproducing unit to a second recording medium in a recording unit, including: operating means for selecting one of high-speed dubbing and regular-speed dubbing that is to be performed on a predetermined program recorded on the first recording medium; clocking means for executing a clocking operation; clock control means for starting the clocking operation by the clocking means when the predetermined program is high-speed dubbed from the first recording medium to the second recording medium; storage means for storing clock information of the clocking means in correspondence to each program recorded on the first recording medium; power supply means for supplying a power at least to the storage means; detecting means for detecting whether the power from the power supply means to the storage means has been interrupted; and control means for controlling, when selecting by the operating means high-speed dubbing of the predetermined program recorded on the first recording means to the second recording means, permission or inhibition of the high-speed dubbing with reference to the clock information stored in the storage means corresponding to the predetermined program recorded on the first recording means, and, when an interruption of the power supply from the power supply means to the storage means is detected by the detecting means and then the power supply to the storage means is restarted, inhibiting the high-speed dubbing of all programs recorded on the first recording means until a predetermined duration of time passes.
According to another aspect thereof, there is provided a dubbing method for storing log information in a memory indicative of whether a high-speed dubbing operation was executed within a predetermined length of time when selecting a high-speed dubbing operation for a program from a first recording medium to a second recording medium inhibiting a next high-speed dubbing operation within a predetermined length of time after the last high-speed dubbing operation, the dubbing method including the steps of: determining whether a power supply to the memory has been interrupted; if, the power supply to the memory is found interrupted, starting a clocking operation; and on the basis of a result of the clocking operation, inhibiting the high-speed dubbing operation for the program recorded on the first recording medium to the second recording medium until the predetermined length of time passes.